Boston Globe Trashes Local Radio

[4CX1000A]

Wolf! (sorry, couldn't resist)

The latest good news for radio is that AT&T is no longer going to offer an unlimited bandwidth wireless plan. If other wireless providers follow AT&T's lead, listening to Internet streams on wireless devices will become less attractive. I have long felt wireless Internet is not the radio-killer that many have made it out to be; it is too inefficient of bandwidth.

But radio is an art, and its future success or failure is in the hands of the artists, that is, the programmers. 90% listener satisfaction is not good enough; radio must attract and hold new listeners, especially younger ones.

Perhaps the blackest day in Boston radio history was the day WBCN's owners took over that station's arch rival, WZLX. Rivalry among stations created a degree of tension, of excitement, that is gone from today's radio dial. The efforts of individual broadcasters to promote their stations at rivals' expenses combined, I feel, to promote the medium as a whole and invite frequent tune-ins. Pretty much the last such rivalry left in local radio is WGBH versus WBUR; it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Radio isn't going away, but it is now one of many backround noises that fill society today.
It doesn't hold any relevance to people who want to listen to music anymore, unless you subscribe to a pay service (HD, satelite, etc...)

HD is not a subscription pay service like satellite radio. It's free (after the cost of purchasing the radio).

 

[Signpost]

Commercial radio appeared to be doing better, on much lower margins before consolidation.

However, i thought CBS purchasing WZLX yielded a better sounding WZLX.. it was a goofy mechanical sounding classic rock format prior to that acquisition.

Kiss 108 buying Jamn' was a similar coup of an archrival. I'm not sure these were bad for radio though. Theoretically an owner with multiple stations can field a wider variety of programming choices - since competition yields duplication (the same hit songs.. over and over.. on BOTH stations..) Theoretically, the listener benefits.

The toxin in this brew are the draconian cutbacks that came with the consolidation, they have rendered radio less nimble and less competitive in an age of multiple media choices. I agree with Neanderpol that most people are content with what they hear on the radio - but am only a malcontent to the extent that I want to see radio thrive, not just survive. This requires and investment in creativity, compelling content, and learning to survive on lower margins so you can go back to the spot loads of the 80's and 90's.

Somehow stations had larger staffs and bigger promotions on those tiny spotloads back then - probably because they didn't have to fork every dollar they earned over to San Antonio.

 

[Neanderpaul]

It would be great to see us thrive as an industry.

Ultimately the beginning has to come from within. We have to believe as an industry. Right now, we spend way to much time & energy just trying to tread water.

Again...I contend it is because the industry is so accountable to Wall St., that we are unable to truly invest for the future. The Wall St. mentality is that of impatience and immediate ROI. Some companies are literally re-budgeting every 3 weeks. It's impossible to plan ahead when your window is 22 days. Radio is not run by radio people. It is a business...but unlike traditional business. It doesn't work like GM.

But that doesn't stop us from maintaining a positive attitude. I know it sounds all "up with people," but going through the days with a positive attitude, eventually results in a better environment. To listen to people who are "just thankful" to be employed...kills morale.

We cannot continue to just work in fear of keeping our positions. We have to want more.

We cannot control the flow of finances, or resources. But, we can present the product positively, with passion. We can take pride in our industry and be the show-business that originally ignited our passion to choose this as our careers. We cannot control what we cannot control. But we can control how we do our jobs.

It's a start.

...now...if only I had a job

 

[ErikD957]

For every one person that says "radio sucks"...there are millions who enjoy what they hear every day.

And I can tell you from experience that the split second there's a bad traffic accident or severe weather, these are the same people that are calling the station asking for information.

 

[Deleted User]

they can call all they want, name me one station where the on air person answers the phone these days?

Unless it is time for the prize pigs to call, nobody answers the phone anymore.

 

[KarsonWithaK]

...name me one station where the on air person answers the phone these days?

Unless it is time for the prize pigs to call, nobody answers the phone anymore.

Karson & Kennedy. There's two.

 

[Deleted User]

with all else that is going on in your studio in the morning, with the amount of time you two have the mic's open, screening contestants, etc, you are having chats off air with random callers about the price of tea in China?

How about you give me that private unlisted studio hotline number so I can call you in the morning and we can chat about the weather over there at 83 Leo Birmingham Parkway!


BTW I hear you are going to be a Daddy, congrats.

 

[KarsonWithaK]

Yes. I answer the phones all the time. It's a pet peeve of mine to see calls go unanswered and sometimes there are so many calls coming in that we all grab a line. It drives my Producer nuts.

Double Yes on the baby! Thanks. My wife is due in November and we'll find out it's a boy on June 18th. :

 

[TheBigA]

Nearly all radio stations doubled their spot loads precisely when the iPod was launched.

Not true. Average spotload on music stations was 12-14 minutes an hour 20 years ago. It increased to a high of 16 in the early 2000s. Then back down to 14 now. Spotloads are highest in talk and news formats.

 

[TheBigA]

I grew up under the influence of really great radio... but radio isn’t what it was. It’s corporate now, the opposite of what it started out as.

It started out as corporate. Invented by corporations as a means of wireless telephony. Corporations like GE, Marconi, Westinghouse, RCA, and more created radio. Then TV was invented and everyone deserted radio. That's when Peter was born. But before he was born, it was very corporate, very predictable, and very bland, especially with regards to the music played.

This thread has been mostly about radio, but let's talk about music a second. When J. Geils started out, they were young guys, aiming music at young listeners. Now they're much older, and their former fans aren't as interested in their new music as they are in Centerfold. The younger listeners want bands their age. That's what's on the radio now. So Peter's frustration is that it was easier for him to get airplay when he was younger. Same problem Perry Como had in the 60s. A lot of musical legends, including Elvis, saw their radio careers dry up as they got older. So it's not a function of radio ownership, but more a function of the age of these artists. And perhaps the quality of their music now vs. then. And that is a hard pill for a lot of them to swallow. But it's been going on for 60 years.

 

[Slip_Cue]

And that brings us to MTV and "Video Killed the Radio Star". Some say if we didn't have the visual (youtube, american idol, daytime and late-night talk etc) how would we know how old these artists really are? I believe that a good song is a good song and if it has hit-potential it shouldn't matter if an artist is old, young, country, soft-rock, urban a/c, metal, rock, hip hop, blues etc etc etc.

Now, I was born in the early/mid 80s so I don't remember much of the non-corporate radio era but I do remember seeing artist like Paul Simon, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley, Bruce Springsteen, Annie Lennox, Elton John, John Mellencamp, Page and Plant, Bryan Adams, Paul McCartney and even Tony Bennett and Mel Torme getting exposure on MTV along side Tu Pac, Brittney Spears, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, Will Smith and other artitsts of that day - LONG after it stopped on radio.

Then, one day it all seemed to stop.

In radio, for the past several years country has crossed over to the mainstream top 40 charts, who says that "classic" rock artists can't do the same????

 

[Deleted User]

And I can tell you from experience that the split second there's a bad traffic accident or severe weather, these are the same people that are calling the station asking for information.

Which one of you jokers called my office number at 10:50 AM today and asked if it was going to rain today?

 

[TheBigA]

Then, one day it all seemed to stop.

The MTV thing was interesting. They were trying to be all things to all people on one channel, and it led to disputes with artists and the audience. Rappers and boy bands don't mix well, and neither do their fan bases. I recall it all came to a head one hear at the VMAs.

They created VH1 to segment the older artists away from the current music.

The battle that has always bothered artists is getting their current music played, not just their past hits. As I said, that was even a problem for Elvis. Until Burnin' Love, he was a has-been, and hit radio wouldn't touch his stuff. Peter Wolf may think it's corporate radio, and that's a convenient excuse, but it's not.

 

[Signpost]

Average spotload on music stations was 12-14 minutes an hour 20 years ago. It increased to a high of 16 in the early 2000s. Then back down to 14 now. Spotloads are highest in talk and news formats.

Station i was at ran 9 units an hour in 1990. 16 in 2002. Then i recall the old WCOZ "57 minutes of music this hour" - implicitly stating they were running 3 spots that hour.

You never hear "12 in a row" "40 minute music sweeps" or even "10 in a row" anymore - 'cause Boston stations can't fit that in with current spotloads mandated. With the advent of the iPod, it was just the wrong time to jack up the spotloads.

 

[TheBigA]

Station i was at ran 9 units an hour in 1990. 16 in 2002. Then i recall the old WCOZ "57 minutes of music this hour" - implicitly stating they were running 3 spots that hour.

Before that you said "Nearly all stations doubled their spotload." Now we find out you were refering to one station. Big difference between "nearly all" and one.

I worked for about a dozen stations during that period, and all were in the 12 minutes an hour zone. The biggest move was changing from multiple breaks (as many as 6 an hour) down to 3 an hour. That increased the length of the stopsets, but meant longer periods of uniterrupted music. That started around 1992. It is still the clock of choice today, although some prefer 2 breaks an hour.

We have found that the length of the stopset doesn't matter. It can be one spot an hour or 20. The result is the same. A portion of the audience changes stations. The majority stay. Those who object to commercials don't care about the number. We cut back spotload 25% and they didn't even notice. In fact they thought we increased the number.

Spotload also has nothing to do with ownership. I'm tracking the spotload and frequency of spots at my competition, which is locally owned, and they run the same number at the same frequency.

 

[Don Juan]

You never hear "12 in a row" "40 minute music sweeps" or even "10 in a row" anymore - 'cause Boston stations can't fit that in with current spotloads mandated.

Doesn't Magic run what they call "a continuous half-hours of soft rock" or some such thing?

 

[Silkie]

If radio is a wasteland maybe it's time to take a look at the wannabes who play silly games as a board operator, who take no pride in their work and then expect to move ahead to on air work. More than one station and more than one network has been taken down by such.

 

[Deleted User]

WPLM does 99 minutes commercial free at 9 am, the last hour of Scott Gibbons AM drive show and into Audrey Constants mid day, which fits in real nice with their noon hour and 25 dollar gift certificate for lunch contest they do daily.

(BTW some of us board ops have First Class tickets and were smart enough to get out of radio when the going was good, which is why I was able to retire with a real sweet pension at age 50, while the people I was doing radio with in the late 70's are on the beach or always wondering if the next book is going to get them canned. I do believe I am the only board op around here that is driving a Porsche)

 

[magpie]

You never hear "12 in a row" "40 minute music sweeps" or even "10 in a row" anymore

WKLB does thirty minute music sweeps

WCTK does 12 in a row (Providence)

Mike FM has commercial free 9-noon weekdays (IIRC)